


Donald Duck (the Third Wheel)

by mothermalfoy (MsLyraMalfoy)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 8th year, Adorable idiots in love, Costume Party, Fluff, Halloween, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-12-31 16:09:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21148487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsLyraMalfoy/pseuds/mothermalfoy
Summary: The 8th years are holding a Halloween party and Harry and Draco plan to go as Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Ron, decidedly alone, will go as Donald. He feels something like a third wheel to their great sappy love. Maybe Blaise can change that?





	Donald Duck (the Third Wheel)

The moment he had heard the dreaded words “couple's costume”, Ron had nearly wanted to wretch. Odd as it had been in the beginning and admittedly for some time after, he had long since accepted his best mate was dating Draco Malfoy. They were even pretty cute admittedly, and it had made Ron realize that perhaps he was not as straight as previously thought. But a couple's costume? That was just unfair. The 8th years were meant to be throwing a Halloween bash, as part of their last great Hogwarts hurrah, and thus it was strongly recommended (ie: mandatory) that everyone dress up in some sort of costume.   
Still, when he saw the look of adoration on his best mate's face as he watched Draco (it would never not be weird to think of him as anything other than Malfoy), discuss the finer details of their couple's costume, Ron decided he didn't have the heart to tell either of them that he didn't want to go.   
"You could be Donald," Draco announced apropos of nothing at breakfast a week before Halloween.   
"Who?"   
"Donald Duck," Draco replied as though this explained everything. Ron merely gave him a funny look; Hermione rolled her eyes.   
"Honestly Ronald, have you not been listening this whole time? Donald Duck is a Muggle cartoon character." Ron would never get used to the idea of Draco Malfoy of all people, not only watching anything Muggle, willingly, but liking it enough that he would want to dress up for Halloween as it. Harry had explained that Draco had never been able to dress up in his youth, and the thought of it thrilled him. And since Harry had thus far never been able to say no to his boyfriend, here they were. It would have been sweet honestly if it weren't so sickening.   
"He's a grump, like you," Draco said with a smirk. Ron folded his arms across his chest and frowned at his breakfast.   
"Not a grump," he grumbled into his oatmeal, though this decidedly did not help his cause. Harry merely chuckled, pulling Draco easily into his lap, and began to feed him. Yet another one of the annoying coupley things they seemed to do constantly. _Honestly, had he been this bad with Hermione? _He wondered. Harry had been quick to remind him, that yes, as a matter of fact, he had been. Perhaps not pull her into his lap to feed her bad, but only because Hermione would never have put up with such things. Ron wouldn't have thought Draco would either, he was a Malfoy after all, but then the two were so besotted with one another that it was clear Draco would do anything Harry wanted as well.   
"Right, so what's this costume then?" Ron said resigning himself to his fate. He felt like an awkward third wheel but he supposed it was nice of Draco to think of him and still try to include him in their plans.   
"Well he's a duck, and he wears a sailor suit." Ron scrunched up his nose at that. "He doesn't wear trousers though so we'll have to fix that."   
"Why doesn't he wear trousers?"   
"He's a cartoon duck," Hermione whispered. Ron supposed he couldn't really argue with that logic, mostly because he really didn't want to.   
"Technically Mickey doesn't wear trousers either," Harry said, in a tone that felt somewhat suggestive.   
"Actually, he only wears trousers," Draco replied. "He doesn't wear a shirt."   
"I think I'll survive," Harry replied easily. Ron snorted, _of course, he would_. Harry had become rather fit thanks to the war. Whereas being on the run had made Ron all the more lanky and thin, Harry had taken to doing a variety of workouts to pass the time and de-stress. Often times this had come in the form of doing pull-ups on trees, or otherwise maneuvering giant limbs of trees by hand as well as strengthening his magical core. In the weeks and months after the war, Harry had only kept up with his workout while Mrs. Weasley had been trying to stuff Ron full of every treat and sweet she could manage. Apparently, in her grief from losing Fred, she had opted to bake at breakneck speed, and Ron being the best son he could, had eaten everything his mother had put in front of him and had earned himself a bit of a stomach pooch for his troubles. This hadn't necessarily stopped anyone from hitting on him. But he didn't exactly feel his most attractive, and the whole thing meant that Ron didn't go for anyone that claimed to be interested in him. The fact that Blaise Zabini seemed to be always staring at him only served to make him more anxious. Zabini was nice enough and bloody fit and they had worked together a number of times during the last few weeks, but Ron was certain it didn't mean anything. He was sitting next to his best mate after all. Surely Zabini was just looking at Draco.   
"As dashing as you would look shirtless, I do rather think it would detract from the costume," Draco said. Ron shook his head trying not to think about the way Zabini was definitely eying him, and ate his breakfast. "I've already taken the liberty of creating full-sized costumes for us that resemble the characters." No one really questioned why Draco wanted to be Minnie Mouse for Halloween. Ron wasn't fully cognizant of the characters, but from what he had gathered Minnie rather loved fashion, as did Draco, and shoes, as did Draco, and bows as... Ron had never seen Draco in a bow but, he supposed it was possible. Harry merely wrapped his arms around Draco's waist, and buried his face in Draco's hair, sighing happily. He looked for all the world as though every single bad thing that had ever happened to him had been worth it, if for no other reason than this precise moment.   
Ron was not a sappy person, he did not consider himself, especially emotional, but the contented look on his best mate's face as he held onto his boyfriend like he was the only life preserver between him and certain doom was almost enough to make him want to tear up. Sure they were mildly nauseating with their love, but Harry deserved that. He had lost so much during the War, and if Draco was the one to make him feel loved who was Ron to say that it was wrong? Who was anyone? Sure some had tried, lobbing all kinds of insults at Draco for all that he had done, but Harry was hearing none of it. "If I can forgive him, anyone can," Harry had said. 

Everything had changed after the incident in the girl's bathroom in sixth year, Ron had only heard about it, but Harry had been so distraught afterward; he didn't sleep for days until finally, Hermione had outright demanded he go see Malfoy if he was so bloody worried. (Her words). Harry had gone to visit him, and somewhere amidst all the chaos of everything going on around them, Draco had said he was sorry. Harry had been so completely taken aback by the apology that he had completely forgotten he had been the one meant to apologize for nearly killing Draco. Draco had merely laughed darkly. "It would have been better if you had," he had said. The two had talked for hours, and in the end, something had changed between them. Ron had been furious in the beginning, but he had learned that he couldn't possibly hope to understand what they had been through. Sure he had been with Harry for a lot of bad stuff, but there were some things he just couldn't hope to understand. Harry had taken Draco's apology and they had buried the hatchet. Ron knew Harry had been fighting to free his boyfriend as much as anyone. It had been decided that Draco would continue on as normal, so as not to arouse suspicion. And Snape had given Draco special occlumency lessons to ensure that Voldemort would never learn of his betrayal.   
Even after all Draco had done, (his information had been integral to the war effort), people still hated him. Ron couldn't help but wonder how much of that was just pure jealousy that they couldn't have Harry. Of all the people who had taken Harry's relationship the best, Ginny was actually their biggest supporter and their fiercest protector. Not only offering a bat bogey to anyone who dared say a bad word about them but a punch in the nose for their troubles. If people were in awe of the boy-who-lived twice, they were terrified of his ex. And rightfully so. While there were those who felt that Ginny should be jealous of Draco, she had instead become fiercely protective of him.   
"If Harry trusts him, that's good enough for me," she had said. They had all learned the hard way what came of doubting Harry. It didn't hurt that the two had parted amicably and that Ginny was now dating Luna who everyone seemed to agree was a far better fit than Harry.   
Ron rather admired Ginny's loyalty. Harry smirked from behind Draco's back, letting his eyes drift closed. Harry had never looked so comfortable, or safe in all the time he had known him. _Who could doubt their love when they saw that? _Ron wondered. Ron smiled despite himself, and tucked himself into his oatmeal, decidedly not meeting Zabini's eye. 

A week later found Ron standing in the 8th year common room, in a too hot duck costume. _I look ridiculous,_ he thought shaking his head. He had spent the better part of the last twenty minutes staring at his reflection in the mirror in the loo just trying to convince himself that it was still worth it to go to this bloody party. _You’re doing it for your best mate_, he told himself firmly. _Your best mate who doesn’t need you, _his mind added. Harry had Draco, _their_ costumes were adorable. The two had been holding hands in their costumes for what seemed like hours, walking around looking like the most disgustingly adorable pair of cartoon mice you could imagine. They’d even made their little mouse heads kiss, per the request of several onlookers who couldn’t help but coo and awe at their display.   
Ron felt like a prat standing in his bloody duck costume.   
“Don’t you look adorable,” Blaise’s voice came from beside him. Ron was forced to turn, his costume made seeing difficult by a bit, _damn duck head_. He turned to find Blaise wearing… Ron stared at the costume for a moment. It was one of the characters in the Muggle cartoon he was also wearing but he couldn’t remember the character's name. It looked rather like a large dog standing upright. “Goofy,” Blaise explained.   
Ron nodded. “So Draco dragged you into this too?”  
“Well I _am_ his best mate after all,” Blaise replied. “But no, he has no idea I went as Goofy.” Ron raised an eyebrow at that. “Now I can’t prove Donald and Goofy would make a cute couple. But I’d like to think so.”   
Ron stared, completely confused. “What?”   
Blaise grinned, “Clearly I’ve been too subtle, what with my longing looks and trying to hit on you every chance I get.”   
Ron was even more confused then. “What?”   
Blaise sighed. “I really kind of fancy you. Which feels sort of dumb to stay but here we are.”   
Ron blinked. “You… me… what?” in what world did Blaise Zabini fancy him?   
“Oh dear, you had no idea, did you?”   
Ron shook his head. “Why? You’re so bloody… fit… and handsome… and… why?”   
Blaise chuckled despite himself, “All of this is true. And thank you. But… you’re very attractive yourself. Frankly, I can hardly keep my eyes off of you most days which is starting to take a toll on my schoolwork thank you very much.” Ron looked down at his body in the duck costume, he looked even more round than usual, then back up at Blaise, who managed to even make Goofy look fit. “You clearly don’t see it which is unfortunate, but I plan to change that,” Blaise added confidently. “The point is… I really fancy you, and well… maybe we could go out sometime?”   
Ron blushed. “I… sure… okay,” he said.   
Blaise grinned, a smile so bright that Ron thought he might faint. “Good. Now then, shall we go hang out with the disgustingly adorable couple?”   
Ron laughed at that and nodded, the two of them seeking out Harry and Draco who were currently huddled in a corner, their mouse heads stuck in a permanent kiss as the two held hands and chatted. It was positively nauseating, and lovely, and Ron had never been more happy for his best mate. 


End file.
